Read this passage from the Declaration of Independence:

We hold truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and pursuit of happiness. —That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of governed...

Evaluate how democratic ideals are evident in this document, and how they are reflected in the US and North Carolina Constitutions. How well has society lived up to these ideals?